In Hawaii, most patients have limited choices of where they can go for medical treatment and they’re unlikely to choose hospitals based on posted costs.
Kathleen Kozak
Kathleen Kozak, M.D., is an internal medicine physician at Straub Clinic and Hospital. She is also the host of The Body Show on Hawaii Public Radio.
Posted inOpinion
Health Beat: Nasty Surprises For Patients Who Travel For Treatment
If they don’t participate in your insurance plan, medical providers can charge whatever they want. It’s time for some limits on that.
Posted inOpinion
Health Beat: Would Knowing The True Cost Of Drugs Make A Difference?
Not only do patients have no idea about the actual prices of their prescriptions, but their doctors don’t either.
Posted inOpinion
Health Beat: The Trouble With Drug Coupons And Free Copay Cards
Brand-name pharmaceutical companies are convincing consumers to keep using products that cost insurance companies far more than generic equivalents.
Posted inOpinion
Health Beat: If We Want The FDA To Do A Better Job, Let It Share The Profits
New products approved by the Food and Drug Administration can make a lot of money. Maybe the cash-strapped agency should get a percentage.
Posted inOpinion
Health Beat: Opioid Makers Should Have To Pay For The Problems They’ve Created
Put the money toward research, treatment and finding ways to better the health of everyone, the same as we did with tobacco settlements.
Posted inOpinion
Health Beat: We Can Have Medicare-For-All And Private Insurance
All of the choices now available to Medicare recipients could live on, even in a single-payer system.
Posted inOpinion
Health Beat: Dodging The High Cost Of Prescription Drugs
The U.S. government and pharmaceutical companies can’t seem to solve the problem, but some creative work-arounds are taking shape.
Posted inOpinion
Health Beat: Regulate Food Supplements, And Send The Bill To The Companies
Its a multibillion-dollar industry, but do all those products do what they claim? Consumers have no way of knowing.